Peterborough city council will consider a staff report that recommends hiking the required liability insurance coverage for alcohol-serving businesses that participate in the downtown patio program from $2 million to $5 million, while recognizing the increase may mean fewer business will be able to participate in the program.

Councillors will review a report from the city’s infrastructure, planning and growth management commissioner Blair Nelson and finance and corporate support services commissioner Richard Freymond when council meets as general committee on Tuesday evening (February 18).

Last February, council voted against a city staff recommendation that would have increased the required insurance coverage to $5 million for all Peterborough businesses seeking a patio extension licence in 2024.

During that meeting, some councillors expressed concerns about the impact of increasing the minimum insurance coverage on businesses that operate smaller patios and those that don’t serve alcohol. In addition, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) told council as many as 15 patio licence holders that had participated in the program in 2023 would be unable to do so in 2024 if they were required to obtain $5 million in liability insurance coverage.

Although council decided against increasing the insurance requirement for the 2024 patio season, they asked city staff to return to council with a report on a “tiered approach” — one which would accommodate smaller patios or unlicensed patios — for the 2025 season.

According to the report council will consider at Tuesday’s meeting, city staff reviewed patio program information from various municipalities and consulted with the Peterborough DBIA and business owners on potential changes to the patio program. The report presents three different insurance coverage and permit fee options for the patio program in 2025.

The first option would maintain the status quo, with a commercial general liability insurance requirement of $2 million and a fixed patio permit fee of $400 — an increase of $100 from 2024.

“Although Option 1 presents an increased risk to the municipality should there be a claim which exceeds the $2 million limit, it also presents an administratively simple framework for downtown patios that supports downtown business growth and the downtown’s attractiveness for investment, tourism and culture,” the report states.

“Based on survey information collected from past permit holders and data collected in previous years, there may be a decrease in patio permit applications should the minimum insurance requirement be increased from $2 million to $5 million.”

The second option, which is the one city staff are recommending, would maintain the $2 million insurance requirement for unlicensed businesses with patios but increase the insurance requirement to $5 million for licensed businesses with patios. A fixed patio permit fee of $400 would be in effect.

“Administratively, this option is expected to require more staff resources compared to Option 1 and may result in some confusion for applicants in determining the insurance requirements for their business,” the report states.

“It is anticipated that some businesses which are licensed to serve alcohol may be deterred from applying for a downtown patio permit as they may need to increase the insurance coverage for their business. Based on information provided by patio permit holders in 2024, it appears that only three of the alcohol-serving businesses would meet the $5 million (commercial general liability) minimum. Reduced participation in the patio program could have a negative social impact on the downtown as the patios add vibrancy and increase the sense of safety for visitors and residents.”

The third option would have the same insurance requirements as the second option, but would have different patio permit fees depending on whether a patio is “bistro style” with one or two tables with four seats each, or a larger patio. Bistro-style patios would have a permit fee of $300 and all other patios would have a permit fee of $500.

“Administratively, this option requires the most staff time compared to Options 1 and 2 as additional resources would be needed to determine the permit cost and insurance requirements on a case-by-case basis,” the report states. “Option 3 may result in confusion for applicants and cost uncertainty at the time of application and could result in delayed permit approvals should applications be filled out in error.”

As noted, city staff are recommending that council approve the second option, where only licensed businesses operating patios where alcohol is served would be required to have $5 million in commercial general liability insurance.

“Option 2 intends to balance the social benefits of the patio program with key risk management considerations,” the report states. “Option 2 proposes an increased insurance requirement for licensed businesses which reflects the increase level of risk to the city when there is alcohol being served on city-owned lands.”

“While there is still a level of risk associated with non-licensed businesses, staff are supportive of maintaining current insurance requirements in an effort to balance the risk management needs with the social benefits of the patio program.”

The report reiterates the city is “assuming a certain level of risk” by not adopting an across-the-board $5 million commercial general liability insurance requirement for all businesses participating in the patio program.

“The corporation would be responsible for any financial costs which may arise should there be a claim which exceeds the $2 million coverage,” the report states.

According to the report, the city issued 15 patio permits in 2024 — a decrease of six from the previous year due to scheduled downtown road reconstruction during the summer that meant some on-street patios could not be approved.

In 2025, road resurfacing work is scheduled in the spring along Hunter Street West, including the so-called café district between George and Aylmer streets where lane closures have been implemented in the past few years to facilitate the patio program and to create more pedestrian space. Lane closures will not be possible until the expected completion of the road work in early June.

“Staff are committed to working with affected businesses to ensure that patios can be permitted and installed once the proposed construction works are completed,” the report states.

Items endorsed by general committee on February 18 will be considered by council for final approval the following Monday. All council meetings are streamed live at www.peterborough.ca.

Peterborough police are reporting that elderly victims of the so-called “grandparent scam” were defrauded of around $17,000 in three separate but seemingly related incidents on Thursday (February 13).

In each case, victims in their 70s and 80s received a phone call claiming their grandchild was in trouble and needed money for bail. The calls were either from a person claiming to be the grandchild or a person claiming to be their grandchild’s lawyer.

The victims were told not to contact anyone else about the incident and, after they had the money, to call a phone number and an “agent of the court” would collect it.

In each of the three cases, the person who collected the money was a woman with a similar description: about five feet and eight inches tall with long dark hair and a slim face with dark eyes. She was wearing a dark, top, dress pants, and an “elegant” dark coat.

Victims described the woman as having a “very professional” demeanour who spoke with what is possibly a French accent. In one incident, she used the name “Sarah Marshall.”

The three incidents happened in the Brock Street and Reid Street area, the Dutton Road and Hilliard Street area, and the Whitaker Street and Armour Road area.

Police are asking anyone who lives in the areas above and has security cameras with footage between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Thursday to contact Peterborough police at 705-876-1122 ext. 555.

Anyone with information about these incidents or related ones is also asked to contact police.

You can also submit an anonymous report to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online stopcrimehere.ca.

What began as a temporary location inside Peterborough Square mall is transitioning into a longer-term space for the Peterborough Community Health Centre (PCHC).

Construction is well underway for the new space in the mall, which is located at 360 George St. N. just south of Simcoe Street in downtown Peterborough. The PCHC’s new space will occupy two floors in the mall, including the former space held by TD Canada Trust and the space just below it.

The PCHC intends the location to be its home for the next decade, according to executive director Ashley Safar.

“Long term, there’s a possibility that we continue to grow and expand in Peterborough Square,” Safar told kawarthaNOW. “I think the benefits of being downtown are numerous.”

Safar said the PCHC’s central location increases accessibility, may contribute to a better feeling of safety for residents, and would be supportive of downtown businesses.

“I think the fact we will be downtown will help support the vibe in the downtown core for folks who are directly accessing the PCHC, but I think there are also going to be a lot of indirect benefits for the community.”

That said, “technically it’s still a temporary location,” she noted, adding that the construction is going well. Unity Design Studio (formerly known as Lett Architects) and Mortlock Construction Inc. are both involved in the work.

“We anticipate doing a soft launch in the spring or early summer and then a grand opening in the fall,” Safar said.

Amidst the construction, progress for the centre is occurring in other areas too, Safar added.

“We are also focused on recruiting physicians. We are already seeing good early interest from physicians interested in the CHC model.”

The PCHC earlier projected the clinic will bring 30 new health care jobs to the area.

A non-profit, community-governed organization, the PCHC provides the community with a combination of primary health care services, free community programs, and community development initiatives. In February 2024, the provincial government announced it was providing about $4.8 million in annual funding for the PCHC.

The PCHC’s mandate is to provide care for priority populations, which include people who are without a primary care provider and who identify as belonging to one or more of the following groups:

• Indigenous individuals
• Racialized groups or communities
• Individuals with physical or mental disabilities, including those experiencing mental health conditions and/or substance use challenges
• Members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community
• Individuals experiencing homelessness
• Newcomers, including immigrants and refugees
• Individuals living in geographically or physically isolated areas who face barriers to accessing care
• Individuals living in conditions of extreme poverty

Safar said this approach is rooted in advancing health equity and ensuring access to care for everyone in the community, with a focus on supporting “the most vulnerable.”

The community health centre model is designed to address the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health of its clients, while actively working to tackle the social determinants of health.

“It’s a model that values understanding the needs of each individual and striving to improve health outcomes while enhancing the overall client experience,” Safar said in a statement.

The PCHC is currently accepting a limited number of clients, only from its priority populations, through referral-based intakes from a small group of partners.

“This approach allows us to ensure that those facing the greatest challenges receive the support they need while we work towards expanding our intake capacity,” PCHC stated in its recent newsletter. “Once we are ready to accept clients on a broader scale, we will make an official announcement to keep the community informed.”

There is currently no waitlist. Safar encourages those in need of primary care to register with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care’s Health Care Connect program , as the organization will be drawing from that registry when it’s ready to expand its client intake.

When fully operational, the PCHC will aim to offer not only medical care but also mental health support, traditional healing, and community wellness programs.

“We hope to foster a welcoming environment where every individual feels seen, heard, and cared for,” Safar said.

Rarely is the elephant in the room the elephant not in the room, but such was the case Wednesday night (February 12) at All Saints’ Anglican Church in Peterborough.

At a debate focused on housing and homelessness issues that the five Peterborough-Kawartha provincial election candidates were invited to participate in, four of them — Jen Deck of the Ontario NDP, Adam Hopkins of the Ontario Liberal Party, Lucas Graham of the Green Party of Ontario, and Andrew Roudny of the New Blue Party — did just that.

There was a chair for incumbent PC Party of Ontario candidate Dave Smith but he was a no-show, denying the some 90 people that braved bad weather the opportunity to hear his views on both issues, and any defence of his government’s policies. Smith did, however, take part in a YourTV debate taped earlier in the day.

Still, the debate — presented by the United Way of Peterborough and District, One City Peterborough, Trent University’s Research for Social Change Lab and All Saints’ Anglican Church — went ahead as it should.

With former United Way board chair Jim Hendry and Joëlle Favreau of Basic Income Peterborough serving as debate co-moderators, each candidate responded to six questions before fielding seven audience questions, half of those coming from the close to 200 people who took in the debate virtually.

Noting that 330 people were experiencing homelessness in Peterborough as of last October, and that rent controls apply only to units created and occupied prior to November 15, 2018, Favreau provided some context before questions were put to the candidates.

Hendry, meanwhile, said those questioning the candidates “can be challenging, but be polite.”

Kristal Jones-Craighead, who has worked on the front lines of homelessness with the Elizabeth Fry Society and One City Peterborough, was both when she asked each candidate when he or she last spoke to someone who is experiencing homelessness.

Admitting it has been “months” since he has done so, Hopkins said, having grown up on a reserve, “Many of those around me, and my loved ones, have experienced homelessness, and some of them have not moved past that.”

Graham, meanwhile, said “It’s not something that I’ve done often enough,” the most recent interaction occurring within the last week when he was canvassing.

“The short answer is I don’t know,” said Roudny, adding “I’d have to assume within the last year because of just how many people I talk to when I’m going about my business.”

Noting she has two friends who live in the Wolfe Street encampment, Deck says she connected with them two years ago and has remained in touch.

“One of them came to my nomination meeting,” she said, adding “They are a very important part of how I have conceptualized the challenges that the unhoused community faces.”

Afterwards, Jones-Craighead said her question cut to the crux of the issue: stigmatization.

“I was really hoping to hear that they (the candidates) had worked in consultation with community members who are experiencing homelessness to prepare for this evening (but) I didn’t hear that,” she said.

“I gave the candidates the opportunity to tell on themselves. They could have been bragging, or at least proud of the example they’re providing on this issue, or they could have let us peek behind the curtain of where their values fall, and how they form their opinions and carry out the policy of their party.”

“One of the other questions asked was around stigma. Maybe we need to examine the way that we are stigmatizing folks. No one up there wanted to openly admit that they are but if they weren’t, consulting with people experiencing homelessness would have been more front of mind.”

While Jones-Craighead’s question was the one that caught each candidate the most off guard, others probed their positions on the homelessness epidemic that, as present, sees some 80,000 living on the streets across the province.

“The fact that homelessness has increased by 25 per cent in just three years is a failure of government policy,” said Graham, listing the primary causes being “skyrocketing housing costs, a severe shortage of affordable homes and a lack of wrap-around supports for mental health and addiction.”

“Instead of treating homelessness as a policing issue, we need to treat it as a housing and health care issue. The Green Party’s plan directly tackles the root causes. We’re going to implement a ‘housing first’ approach, which means housing is the first priority when helping people experiencing homelessness. We’ll support those living in encampments rather than displace them, providing them with temporary or modular housing on provincial lands.

“Our plan also includes building 250,000 affordable non-profit and co-op homes, and 60,000 permanent supportive housing units, ensuring that those experiencing homelessness have access to stable long-term housing with mental health and addiction services attached.”

Deck, meanwhile, said Liberal and Conservative governments have “dismantled and neglected our social safety net,” adding “The Ford government cut funding for community housing by 70 per cent (while Ontario Disability Support Program and Ontario Works) rates have largely remained the same since they were established in the late 1990s.”

“We’ve always had the money to adequately fund supports for housing, but we haven’t had leaders willing to make it a priority. If Doug Ford can find $1.4 billion to expand beer sales, $3 billion for election bribe cheques, and $50 billion for a tunnel under the 401, he can find money to house everyone in our communities. We need to treat housing as a human right, not a commodity.”

As for the Liberal position, Hopkins echoed Deck, noting safe and affordable housing “is a right for all of us.” He added the main culprit in the current crisis was the removal of rent controls.

“This has to be changed. We have a phased-in plan to bring rent controls back, but that’s just one element of a massive problem that has to be addressed. We also know that those experiencing homelessness are facing intersectional problems. Our health care system is in crisis. We have a plan to fix some of those gaps in that system.”

Roudny, who just joined the race earlier this week, noted “government is never going to fix this problem.”

“What we need to do is realize that everybody in this province is so burdened by taxes (in) what was once an industrial superpower. People are living in tents and going to food banks. That is unacceptable, but we can’t keep looking to government and saying ‘Fix this for us.’ They will never do it.”

“What we need to do is make everything in Ontario much more affordable,” he added. “That needs to change or this is going to continue. That’s a hard thing to hear. There’s not an easy solution but I believe it’s the only real one for (addressing) this issue.”

While none of the candidates addressed Smith’s absence during the course of the debate, Deck afterwards told kawarthaNOW “If the Conservatives felt it (homelessness and housing) was an issue, they would have been here tonight.”

“Dave’s a good talker,” assessed Deck, adding “I wish he had felt a responsibility to be here.”

Noting that Smith indicated earlier the same day that he won’t participate in single issue debates, Deck countered that homelessness and affordable housing provision isn’t remotely a single issue.

“Food insecurity, health care, child care … what is it not?” she said.

Hopkins, too, lamented Smith’s non-participation.

“All the parties (represented) here have clear plans to build more homes and improve the health care system, because we know this is an intersectional problem that’s going to take many, many years to fix,” he said.

“This (the debate) is a very important part of the democratic process. This is an issue most people are talking about. Our elected official needs to be here. He needs to be accountable. I too would like to know where he (Smith) stands on this issue.”

The next scheduled all-candidates debate is Tuesday (February 18) at the Market Hall in downtown Peterborough.

Starting at 7 p.m. and hosted by the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Chamber of Commerce, the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Home Builders’ Association, the Central Lakes Association of Realtors, the Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area, the Peterborough and District Construction Association, and YourTV, the focus will be on the economy.

Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing Joel Wiebe at the chamber at joel@pkchamber.ca. Written question submissions will also be available at the event, which will be recorded and aired on YourTV.

Election day is Thursday, February 27th. Elections Ontario will release voting location information after Friday (February 14).

This story has been updated to correct a misspelling in Andrew Roudny’s surname.